1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to birdhouses and more specifically to birdhouses that can be easily cleaned out after each season and that have entrances having easily changeable effective entrance sizes.
2. Description of the Related Art
It can be appreciated that manmade birdhouses have been in use for many years, and have been made from many materials. Common birdhouses are made from wood, metal, and even ceramic material.
Conventional wooden birdhouses are highly susceptible to warp and subject to deterioration due to the weather. Conventional metal birdhouses are susceptible to overheating when in direct sunlight, which can harm the birds and birds"" eggs. Ceramic material is susceptible to discoloration, deterioration, cracking and chipping, due to freezing.
Another problem associated with coqyeptional birdhouses of all the above materials is that the birdhouses only have a single sized entrance. In order to attract birds of different sizes, a person needs to purchase multiple birdhouses. As an alternative to having multiple wooden birdhouses, the owner can easily increase the size of the entrance by drilling a larger hole. However, this results in a permanent alteration to the birdhouse, which is often undesirable.
Many birdhouses are not easily cleaned. The components of those birdhouses are often permanently bound together, and it can be difficuk, if not impossible, to temporarily disassemble any of those components for cleaning purposes.
Thus, there exists a need to solve these and other problems.
The present invention has an entrance that has a changeable effective entrance size and that is also easily partially disassembled to facilitate cleaning.
In accordance with one aspect of the present birdhouse invention, a main body is provided having a wall with a top and a bottom, and a main body hole of a first size therebetween. The main body wall has an inside surface. A roof is connected to the top of the main body. The birdhouse also has a floor with a rim, and is removeably connected to the bottom of the main body. A fastener is through the main body and floor rim to hold the floor in place.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a constrictor plate with a constrictor plate hole of a second size is provided. Two screws having respective heads are threaded into the main body wall. The constrictor plate is slideably held between the screw heads and the inside surface of the main body. In an alternative embodiment, the constrictor plate is hingedly connected to the main body.
The constrictor plate moves between a first position and a second position. When in the first position, the birdhouse effective entrance size is equal to the first size of the main body hole. When in the second position, the effective entrance size is equal to the second size of the constrictor plate hole. The constrictor plate can have more than one constrictor plate hole.
The ease of cleaning is apparent. The owner merely has to remove the fastener holding the floor to the main body and then remove the floor in order to clean the birdhouse.
It is no more difficult to change the effective size of the entrance, which is done in the same manner. After removing the floor, the owner simply reaches into the birdhouse and moves the constrictor plate between the first position and second position.
The main body, the roof, the floor and the constrictor plate are considered to be the major components. These components may be made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The fasteners are considered the minor components, and may be made of stainless steel. In this regard, the birdhouse of the present invention is highly resistant to warp and decay. Also, the birdhouse is resistant to overheating in direct sunlight. In addition, the birdhouse is not susceptible to cracking or chipping.
Other advantages, benefits, and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the invention and studying the drawings.